Weeks after Danny Vega was beaten in South Seattle, police say they have only a vague suspect description, no motive and no strong leads on who killed the longtime hair stylist.

Vega, 53, died Sunday morning after several days in a coma. Investigators say they need tips from the public.

Vega was attacked about 7:45 p.m. Nov. 15 as he walked along the 4200 block of South Othello Street in Seattle. When Officer Joe Hadley arrived on scene, he briefly talked to Vega as he was being strapped to a mobile stretcher by medics. Vega was wincing in pain and said his chest hurt.

He was walking near the Swap Meet at 4200 S. Othello St. when three teens approached and punched him several times. Because of his injuries, Vega could only give a vague description.

Vega "stated that at some point while he was being beaten he lost consciousness," Hadley wrote in an incident report. "The victim awoke with pain all over his face and chest."

His cell phone was stolen, along with his house keys and black jacket. After Vega regained consciousness, he walked home and told his roommates he'd been beaten, police said. He was taken from his home to Harborview, where his condition worsened.

Vega's niece, Melanie Galmiba, told our news partner KOMO/4 that she believe Vega was targeted because he was gay and that his death is a hate crime. For weeks, the family and friends have been passing out fliers about the attack around South Seattle and the Filipino community.

Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said Monday that police don't know the motive for the attack – and hope that help from the public gives them more information.

"We do know that some things were taken, so possibly this started off as a robbery," Whitcomb said. "But we don't know what – the theft may have been incidental to the attack.

"The facts that we know are that he was viciously beaten and left unconscious on the sidewalk."

Vega, who owned Danny Vega's Hair Design at 4001 S. Willow St., was the 16th homicide victim in Seattle this year and the first since the officer-involved shooting of murder suspect Eric Blaine Evans.

"We have a very vague description of the suspects and we've made an appeal to anyone in the community who may have seen anything, may have heard anything or knows any detail – however insignificant it may seem – to please come forward or call our tip line," Whitcomb said.

Police insist tipsters can remain anonymous by calling the department's tip line at 206-233-5000.

"Now that he's gone," Galmiba told KOMO, "we need to fight hard as a family to find those people."